Lancaster Council approves 91.9% of planning applications, based on 4,774 real decisions analysed from the council’s public planning portal. The national average across all councils tracked by PlanningLens is 88.6%. Lancaster sits 3.3 percentage points above the national average.
According to PlanningLens analysis of 237 decided applications, Lancaster Council approved 87.3% of planning applications in 2025. Across 4,774 decisions analysed since January 2020, the overall approval rate in Lancaster is 91.9%; the national average across UK councils tracked by PlanningLens is 88.6%.
Source: PlanningLens (planninglens.co.uk) analysis of Lancaster council planning portal records · Updated August 2026 · Quote freely with attribution
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Not all applications are treated equally. Extension types, listed building consent, and change of use applications each have very different success rates in Lancaster.
| Application Type | Approved | Refused | Total | Rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Trees | 1,255 | 39 | 1,294 | 97.0% |
| Full | 1,093 | 113 | 1,206 | 90.6% |
| Other | 1,012 | 119 | 1,131 | 89.5% |
| Discharge of Conditions | 406 | 37 | 443 | 91.6% |
| Certificate of Lawfulness | 350 | 37 | 387 | 90.4% |
| Listed Building | 116 | 6 | 122 | 95.1% |
| Advertisement | 64 | 9 | 73 | 87.7% |
| Prior Approval | 53 | 16 | 69 | 76.8% |
| Change of Use | 37 | 12 | 49 | 75.5% |
A loft conversion in one ward can have a 90% approval rate. In the next ward, 55%. The free check tells you which side you're on, your free property report is emailed in minutes.
Check My PostcodeWard-level data reveals where planning applications are most and least likely to succeed. Officers, local policies, and neighbourhood character all play a role.
| Ward | Approved | Refused | Total | Rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lower Lune Valley | 360 | 39 | 399 | 90.2% |
| Upper Lune Valley | 321 | 28 | 349 | 92.0% |
| Ellel | 266 | 48 | 314 | 84.7% |
| Castle | 261 | 18 | 279 | 93.5% |
| Silverdale | 259 | 19 | 278 | 93.2% |
| Bolton And Slyne | 227 | 19 | 246 | 92.3% |
| Scotforth West | 201 | 14 | 215 | 93.5% |
| John O'Gaunt | 137 | 11 | 148 | 92.6% |
| Warton | 140 | 6 | 146 | 95.9% |
| Torrisholme | 131 | 9 | 140 | 93.6% |
| Bulk | 129 | 5 | 134 | 96.3% |
| Overton | 119 | 9 | 128 | 93.0% |
| Kellet Ward 2015 | 110 | 16 | 126 | 87.3% |
| Westgate | 111 | 11 | 122 | 91.0% |
| Poulton | 109 | 13 | 122 | 89.3% |
| Bare | 113 | 4 | 117 | 96.6% |
| Heysham South | 106 | 8 | 114 | 93.0% |
| Halton-with-Aughton And Kellet | 92 | 16 | 108 | 85.2% |
| Scotforth East | 95 | 13 | 108 | 88.0% |
| Marsh | 101 | 4 | 105 | 96.2% |
| Dukes | 99 | 5 | 104 | 95.2% |
| Slyne With Hest | 87 | 9 | 96 | 90.6% |
| Kellet | 87 | 5 | 92 | 94.6% |
| Heysham Central | 78 | 9 | 87 | 89.7% |
| Bolton Le Sands | 76 | 7 | 83 | 91.6% |
Showing top 25 of 42 wards by volume. Your free property report includes the full ward breakdown.
See full ward breakdown →How Lancaster’s planning approval rate has changed year by year, down 9.7pp since 2018.
Bar height reflects approval rate. Colour: green ≥85%, amber ≥70%, red below 70%.
Real residential planning decisions from Lancaster council. Each reference links to the council's own planning portal so you can verify the details yourself.
| Reference | Proposal | Decision |
|---|---|---|
| 26/00743/PLDC Bolton And Slyne | Proposed lawful development certificate for the erection of a single storey rear | Approved |
| 26/00179/FUL Halton-with-Aughton And Kellet | Change of use from an agricultural building to ancillary accommodation in associ | Approved |
| 25/01250/VCN Ellel | Erection of a building comprising kennels, cattery and reception area for the ex | Approved |
| 25/01251/VCN Ellel | Erection of a 2-storey veterinary building (sui generis) in association with exi | Approved |
| 26/00695/PLDC Bolton And Slyne | Proposed Lawful development certificate for the construction of a hip to gable l | Approved |
| 26/00666/FUL Scotforth East | Conversion of garage into ancillary living accommodation and installation of new | Approved |
| 26/00589/FUL Warton | Erection of a two storey side extension | Approved |
| 26/00537/FUL Halton-with-Aughton And Kellet | Erection of an extension to existing agricultural building | Approved |
| 26/00604/PLDC Poulton | Proposed lawful development certificate for construction of a dormer extension t | Approved |
| 26/00590/FUL Ellel | Erection of a two storey side extension and detatched garage | Approved |
Find out what actually gets approved near your address first. Your free property report analyses the 20 nearest decisions to your property, ward-specific refusal patterns, and extension-by-extension approval patterns. Based on Lancaster's 4,774 real decisions. Free, emailed in minutes.
Check my postcodeCompare Lancaster's planning approval rates with neighbouring areas:
Dig deeper into Lancaster's planning statistics, by ward, extension type, or project category:
Data-driven guides to help you understand planning approval patterns:
Yes. PlanningLens offers a free planning permission check for Lancaster. Enter your postcode to instantly see approval rates for your ward and application type, based on 4,774 real decisions from Lancaster council. The full property-specific report is also free and emailed within minutes.
Enter your postcode on PlanningLens for a free instant check based on Lancaster's real planning decisions. The free property report goes further: it analyses the 20 nearest comparable decisions to your property, ward-level refusal patterns, and approval rates by application type. Free and emailed within minutes.
Based on 4,774 planning decisions, the overall approval rate in Lancaster is 91.9%. The national average across councils tracked by PlanningLens is 88.6%. Rates vary significantly by ward and application type.
PlanningLens has analysed 4,774 planning decisions from Lancaster council. 4,386 were approved and 388 were refused. These figures cover decisions from January 2020 to the present.
The average approval rate in Lancaster is 91.9%, but outcomes depend heavily on your specific ward, the type of extension or development you are proposing, and local planning policy. Use the free PlanningLens postcode check to get a personalised score.
Writing about planning in Lancaster? These figures are free to republish with attribution. Copy the one-line citation, or paste the stat box into any website, CMS or newsletter, it carries its own styling and links back to this page for verification.